Apply perfume to four or five pulse points on your body. It’s best to wear it low on your body, as fragrance tends to waft upwards. You could spray perfume behind your knees, inside your wrists, and on your ribs. Don’t rub it in your skin.

Perfume is meant to be applied on the skin, and not on your clothes. This allows the heat of your body to work on the scent. Spraying scent on your clothes just stains them.

To make the scent last longer, try layering. This means using a shower gel first, then moisturizer or lotion of the same fragrance. Finish it off with the perfume.

When it comes to storage, avoid placing your perfume in a place where it’s susceptible to heat, light or air. Store them in their bottles upside down, to keep air from entering.

Whatever you do, don’t over-apply perfume. You don’t want to drive people away.

Image source: aboutpixel.de / Nails © Ronald Leine

In the office, as I was surreptitiously surfing the net for online college reviews, I couldn’t help but notice my co-worker’s toe.  It seemed as if it had been run over by a speeding truck.  It was covered in a thick bandage and looked swollen as hell.  She told me she just had surgery on that toe, because of a nasty nail infection from a nail salon she recently went to. 

If in the past you have likewise fallen prey to supposedly experts who give careless manicures, here are some points to remember the next time you hit the nail salon:

Bring your own stuff.  It wouldn’t hurt to be scrupulously clean when having manicures.  Buy your own manicure or pedicure kit and bring it with you to wherever you get your nails done.    Don’t forget to disinfect your tools after each use, even if you’re the only one using it.  If you can, take off your old nail polish from your nails before going to the salon, or bring your own nail polish remover. 

Inspect the salon.  You don’t have to walk around with a magnifying glass in hand.  Discreetly check if their manicure tables and floors are clean, and if the trash bin is properly bagged and covered.  See if their disinfectant containers are clean.  

Be sure that the pedicure tub is cleaned after each use.  Check if the manicurists wash their hands before and after each client, and that each client washes his or her hands prior to the manicure. 

Take the extra time to make sure everything used is sanitary.  In the long run, it’ll spare you a big headache- and fungi-infested nails.

Try mixing some honey with a little lemon juice, and apply it to your lips. You can also change your toothpaste brand, as it may be a cause of your dark lips. When going out, be sure to apply lip balm to protect your lips.

To help lighten dark lips, mix half a teaspoon of pomegranate juice with half a teaspoon beetroot juice. Apply this regularly to your lips.

Make a smooth paste out of 2-3 almonds soaked in water overnight. Peel its skin off and grind it to a smooth paste. Add a bit of fresh cream and 2-3 drops of lemon juice.

Don’t lose hope. With these simple home remedies, you can bring back life to your lips.

Image source: aboutpixel.de / Ton in Ton © Kyken

One of the most neglected body parts is our feet. But just because every other body part lords over it, doesn’t mean you have to neglect them. Remember, you wouldn’t be able to get from here to there without them. Yes, they’re more important than your new Blackberry playbook. So, it only makes perfect sense to take care of them. Here are a few natural ways to care for your feet:

After a tiring day, you can give your feet the pampering it needs by soaking them in a bowl of warm water with mineral salts. You may even add pebbles and roll your feet back and forth as you soak. That will give them a soothing massage. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice, rose petals or lavender oil to the water for a more relaxing effect.

To get rid of dead skin on your feet, rub them with a pumice stone. Wash feet well, then pat them dry and massage with a moisturizing lotion.

Just when you thought nothing can be more difficult than twisting your body into those challenging yoga poses, along comes an even more challenging predicament – deciding what to wear.  Saying that yoga has many health benefits is no longer a headline-maker, as we are all already well aware of that.  But if you don’t feel comfortable doing yoga because what you’re wearing starts pinching your body in all the wrong spots, then you won’t be able to fully reap the benefits of yoga.

When choosing yoga apparel, you can combine stylishness with comfort.  As you lug your yoga mat bags to class, you can still manage to effortlessly turn heads.

When it comes to tops, you can go with a sexy yet comfortable racer back tank top of a long sleeved tee.  For bottoms, you can wear Capri pants which have slits at the knees.  These slits help facilitate ease of movement and stretching as you do yoga.  Be sure that whatever you wear is neither too tight nor too loose.  The fabric should, of course, be breathable because you will be sweating it out.

What you wear will have a huge impact on how effective your yoga exercise will be.  Choose wisely, and be sure to try on your yoga outfit before buying it.

First, it helps to understand the causes of frizzy hair.  Dry hair is lighter than moisturized hair, so it has a tendency to fly off in every direction, away from the head.  Aside from dryness, hair which has been subjected to harsh chemicals and treatments likewise becomes a frizz victim.

Common sense dictates that the way to combat frizz is to moisturize the hair.  A deep conditioning treatment once a week helps keep hair supple.  Coconut, jojoba, and olive oil are some of the natural substances which help to quickly moisturize hair.  Just a few drops worked into the hair, starting from roots to tips, does the job.

Try to minimize the use of hot styling tools such as flat irons and hair dryers, as they can leave your hair dry and damaged.  If you must use a flat iron, apply some silicon-based serum prior to styling, to help minimize the probability of frizz.

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On more than one occasion, I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced having a headache so bad that you want to bang your head on your rustic dining table just to help relieve some of the unbearable pain.  You may feel only one part of your head throbbing from the pain, and sometimes this is accompanied by nausea.  Those are the classic symptoms of a migraine.  

When migraines happen while you’re at work or at an important occasion, what you want is instant relief from the debilitating pain.  At the onset of pain, you can take over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen to help ease your discomfort.  If possible, go to a dark and quiet room after taking medication.  This will help you relax, as sometimes, bright lights are the cause of migraines.  Applying a cold compress to where it hurts also helps. 

Migraines aren’t the end of the world.   Do know that it too shall pass.  But if you notice that your symptoms include impaired movement on one side of your body, or partial numbness, you should seek help from a doctor.

For some expectant mothers though, they find themselves on pretty tough terrain during the first months of pregnancy.  Morning sickness becomes a battle for them to overcome.  There are ways to help minimize this nasty feeling:

Go bland.  Avoid spicy food.

Always bring snacks with you wherever you go.  Soda crackers may work for you.  For some, chocolates help.

Eat frequent, light meals throughout the day to help prevent nausea, as this helps even out your blood sugar levels.

Some women swear by ginger to help ease their morning sickness.  Try ginger cookies, tea, etc.

Eat foods rich in Vitamin B.  Think bananas, avocados, whole grains.

What may work for some may not work for you, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.  Experiment with the available options, and you’re sure to find one that works for you.  Just remember that your morning sickness will pass, and in the end, what you’ll have is a beautiful baby sent from the heavens above.

Some would make this an excuse to take a respite from their daily healthy diet of greens and fiber.  But Christmas or no Christmas, you should stick to your healthy eating routine- at least for the sake of your waist.  So how do you resist all the gustatory temptation right at your fingertips?

Graze, don’t wolf down all the food.  Sure, most of the food at the table maybe stuff you haven’t eaten in ages, but that’s still not a reason to eat as if there was no tomorrow.  Simply graze over them, eat a little of each type of food served.  If you can, skip the really fattening ones.

Alcohol will most likely be a staple at Christmas parties, and you can still drink, but do so in moderation.  Otherwise, that bottle of beer will eventually find its way to your belly.

Brush your teeth.  Have you noticed how you don’t feel like eating after just brushing your teeth? 

If you’re having a party at a restaurant, split a serving of pasta with your friend.  Drink more water to fill you up.

You can still enjoy the Christmas season even if you’re watching your weight.  Discipline is all it takes.

With all the stressors associated with Christmas preparations: from picking out Christmas gifts for him or her to making sure your Christmas tree doesn’t look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it wouldn’t come as a shock if you find yourself shrouded in a cloak of sheer panic and exhaustion.

The last thing you need at a time like this is stress and fatigue.  Don’t you already get enough of that from the office?  Christmas should be about merry-making and pure, unadulterated fun.

In order to breeze through the Christmas season without being tangled up in a bundle of nerves, you can start by preparing a list of people whom you plan to give presents to.  Next to their names, jot down at least two gift ideas, so if the first one happens to be unavailable, you’ll have a ready alternative.

When it comes to shopping, do so before people crowd the shops.  The early bird does catch the worm.   If possible, do your shopping online for added convenience.   Also, remember to set a budget and strictly adhere to it.  This will spare you the worry of not having enough money left for other important things.

All it takes is careful planning, and you’ll have a stress-free Christmas shopping experience.